e.s.c. wrote:sorta, though i was talking more about the fact that some musicians just dont want to be famous, some do...i tend to respect musicians who are famous more if they are the type who werent trying to be famous, but more just tried to make music their concern...like luke said, trying to get on a relatively minor label for tour support and help doing that sort of shit i dont mind..its more when people have this goal of becoming famous that it bothers me, since often then they focus on doing what it takes to achieve fame, not on just writing songs that they enjoy writing....
as far as i fight dragons, i dont know them well enough to know if they are just becoming famous or they are trying to be famous, though i am personally put off them a little by the whole "we all wear clothes that thematically match" thing as well as the way they present themselves (and the manner in which they use chip elements), which do make me think that their interest in chip music may be less than genuine and more about marketing...again, this is based mostly off the way they present themselves as a band, so i cant be sure...but if thats not the case, they may wish to pursue new ways of presenting themselves, ie not coordinating their clothing
i definitely get what you're saying, and agree that it's all about your personal goals, but it gets pretty hard to draw the line. thematic costumes themselves don't bug me (the locust, devo, etc), the thing that seems off about IFD's costume gimmick is that it feels like a weird attempt to tie their clothing into a sort of "nerdcore" image, which comes off as forced since their music doesn't really represent that scene beyond having the chip sounds. that part seems like poor branding, i suppose.
as for their interest in chipmusic, i honestly don't think their interest in chip music is much stronger than that of, say, horse the band (which is to say not very much). in both cases they're by no means ignorant of it, and know at least a little bit, even enough to learn some programming! but representing chip music isn't their goal, just representing i fight dragons. their chosen setup is clearly much more gimmicky than simply using a square wave sound on a fucking synth, but they enjoy the sounds, and have found a way to appropriate them in a way they want. on the whole, they won't have people at their shows getting mad because they're "fakebit", we're a pretty select few that know the difference. i honestly don't think it's strictly about marketing for them, they're just not trying to market solely to a chip music audience.
reading everyone's thoughts on "making it" in this thread has been pretty interesting. i agree that any fame you should earn as a musician should come naturally because of your given talent or originality, you won't ever leave your bedroom unless you have something new to offer. true, some musicians don't really aspire to be that kind of big, but everyone who feels they have an original voice wants to be heard and recognized, it's just about to what extent. when i think about my goals as a musician, my ultimate goal has never been to be in some ultimately famous globe-hopping band of millionaires, but rather to be a musician that someone could respect the same way i respect my heroes that informed and changed the way i write and play. everyone is aiming for recognition on some level, whether from their peers alone or from everyone on the globe. to stay on topic with IFD, i think they love making the music they make, and love these chip sounds enough to use them in a capacity they want, so they want recognition from everyone else who loves both those things. doesn't seem unfair to me.
sorry that this turned into a novella.
